Are SMALL TRANSFORMERS Worth Scrapping for COPPER?

Рет қаралды 17,626

4 ай бұрын

A natural follow-up question about copper transformers: How much do you make processing small transformers for scrap copper? Will it be like many other small parts and be valuable despite being frustrating to do? Or will we finally get to feel good skipping one of the more time-consuming scrap jobs? Gotta watch to find out, but I was pleasantly surprised!
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Пікірлер: 104

@Xenon6002 4 ай бұрын

I love striping these small ones. (I simply don't have bigger ones) Fast way to strip them is just to saw the copper wire with a metal hand saw in the opposite angle of the windings..... then you can take the copper wiring out pretty fast. No brutal force needed.😎👍🏻 And sidenote: i do it for fun in my 'useless hours' just to clear my head and getting some peace of mind while scrapping.😎

@ebikescrapper3925 4 ай бұрын

It's better use of your time than watching television.

@cijil169 4 ай бұрын

Sometimes the fun with scrapping is just breaking stuff and that alone can be priceless. The money, if any, buys a tasty beverage. Keep breaking stuff!!

@shaystern2453 4 ай бұрын

i'd say yes it's always worth it. 5 bucks an hour as opposed to nothing an hour.

@daveusher5088 4 ай бұрын

I strip these all the time because in Edmonton none of the yards will give electric motor price and currently motor price is .075/lb. i.e. less than shred. All the yards in Edmonton work together to screw the scrapper.

@thubprint 4 ай бұрын

Wow… that’s actually super lame, I’m sorry you don’t have a better yard to go to

@stuartsmg1 4 ай бұрын

That's bull crap they're robbing you guys

@pgh1729 4 ай бұрын

Sounds like the perfect opportunity for you to start a business buying them and making a deal with a yard outside your area…

@nomadsteve5297 4 ай бұрын

@@pgh1729yes my thoughts exactly 👍

@selimthesaracen1805 3 ай бұрын

Bro just go to howden recycling in the west side they pay you motor price $0.30/lb

@gussuperman7565 4 ай бұрын

M8 my hat goes off to you , in your efforts to make people understand that all junkies have 2 main tools , a magnet and a speed wrench (aka hammer.) You also prove that making a living scrapping isn't for the faint of heart. I've been doing this for about 26 years , and I wouldn't trade it for anything else . Cheers M8 Keep up the good work. God bless y'all.

@thubprint 4 ай бұрын

Always appreciate your kind words, and thanks for watching! As always I’m not seeking to tell people how to spend their time, and regardless of hourly I did enjoy doing this one. Splitting them apart like apples is pretty fun 😊

@martymcfly2506 4 ай бұрын

I'd suggest keeping an eye out for an old hydraulic/electric log splitter you could modify with a sharper cutting edge. I have the luxury of a large industrial compression moulding press that I can mount an axe head in. It takes 3 seconds to split any transformer, so I was thinking a log splitter might work well too

@davidh266 4 ай бұрын

Hmm good idea but hydraulic press works better

@simodo11 4 ай бұрын

Great video,I scrap any size transformer as it all adds up.Never worry about hourly rate ,just enjoy stripping the copper out of them ,it’s good for my mind

@steveherr450 4 ай бұрын

depends what you would have done with those three hours. if you would have spent those extra 3 hours sitting at a tavern, then yes it was worth it. sitting in front of the boob tube, yes it is worth it. if you could have cut condensers open at $45 an hour, no it wasn't worth it. sit in the house and listen to your wife complain, heck i would do it if i wasn't getting paid to stay away from the house. all depends what else you would have used that three hours for.

@scott-kf1bi 4 ай бұрын

17 bucks is better then a 10 dollar bottle of wine. 3 hour work out of the arms is so beneficial.

@axelohmstede943 2 ай бұрын

Idea - get a 3 ton arbor press and an old hatchet blade - use that to split transformers. It'd likely go through like butter and go a LOT faster than the machete & hammer. Processing speed would likely double if not more and it'd be a $400 investment in a tool you'd use all the time to separate stuff and press apart motors.

@thescrapmeister 4 ай бұрын

I have not taken them apart... I just sell them as motors. The time saved can be used to get more scrap. Great Video!

@ashmartin7374 4 ай бұрын

no matter the time spent, it's a noble cause to scrap what would be thrown away.

@deweysteverson74 4 ай бұрын

Nice, makes me think twice about spending the time to break them down. The only thing is that my scrap yard only gives shred price and not transformer price. Stay safe and see you on the next video

@RustydriftRC 4 ай бұрын

Those motors, the ones you described as “lobster-claw looking” (like microwave fan motors, if you squeeze the opposite side in the vise the copper coil falls out without the hammer.

@thubprint 4 ай бұрын

I can’t believe I didn’t try that lol, next time!

@jayc8180 4 ай бұрын

I only do the easy ones that don’t have tape all through them.. that “lobster claw” motor one you can take a sharp knife or razor and run it over the same spot in the copper a few times and it’ll usually cut the copper down to the core. From there just pull it off. They’re pretty quick.

@SollersScrappingandDiving 4 ай бұрын

I tend to only break down the easy microwave style motors, the heat solenoids and any inductors with a ferrite core than can be easily smashed and the bigger transformers and motors but not to save the time for minimum increase, to save my wrists, I'm a hobby scrapper so I don't care how long things take as I keep all my copper for casting. This was interesting thank you! 🙂

@johnthompson9032 3 ай бұрын

Nice😉

@johnthompson9032 3 ай бұрын

I scraped my massage chair, you know the ones that are in the airport terminals, yuh it was one of those ooh second hand £100 purchases that seemed to make sense, then I realised it looked huge in my tiny house and when it reclines it was even bigger🤣 I broke my back getting it through my front door and again getting it in the garden😂 I did use it for 2 years to justify the money spent, I’m crazy but not stupid🤪

@SollersScrappingandDiving 3 ай бұрын

@@johnthompson9032 😄 at least it got some use first 😉

@scrapitall200 4 ай бұрын

It is definitely useful information. Nice demonstration buddy!

@DrHutOfHandcraft 4 ай бұрын

Nice camera work again, really enjoy these kind of videos. I believe you that you got tired of transformers haha

@evolx10 4 ай бұрын

The small fan motors with the crustacean grip, unless they are supper thick, all you need is to grab each "claw" with a pair channellocks and twist in the opposite dir and the copper core basically falls out. no hammer, no pry.

@mr.zardoz3344 4 ай бұрын

Do you ever set aside a day for tool restoration and upkeep? Sharpening, rust removal, etc.

@ltdan2990 4 ай бұрын

Thub, use the angle grinder on the little "claw" ones and just cut across the copper and it peals right out. You loose a bit of copper but you save a lot of time.

@mikeanderson1139 3 ай бұрын

I micro scrap everything that I get my hands on. anyone who does this knows it can't be about the money only, there's better ways, but it's just so much fun! Keep up the great vids!!

@Kenthis15 4 ай бұрын

It’s not something I’d do normally. But we had some bad snow recently. Perfectly good time to find something to do. Thanks for really letting us know what our time is worth. You’re really helping us make the most out of what little time we have.

@ihearDeadpeople 4 ай бұрын

I don't have that kind of time to strip the small ones down and I just take them into the yard currently in Australia I can get $1.47 AUD for small transformers and motors so it's a good price here at the moment. Good times for scrap metals 🎉

@PandaMachine0 4 ай бұрын

These are great! I come across a lot of old desktop PC's with the motherboard and ram pulled out but there seems like a LOT more going on there. It would be very interesting to know the total potential value in all the bits parsed out.

@thubprint 4 ай бұрын

I’d like to know too! I don’t have a good buyer for scrap circuit boards so I’d have to break them right down, and I’m not really set up for that kind of processing just yet haha

@PandaMachine0 4 ай бұрын

These are so incredibly helpful!

@maritimescrapper 4 ай бұрын

Great info! Awesome video my friend!!

@Walkerbabe 4 ай бұрын

I enjoy the videos. Keep the variety coming.😊

@scraprodriguez 4 ай бұрын

Great video, thanks for sharing this with us

@joeybuldo3008 4 ай бұрын

I’ll usually do most of these unless they are like the rly small one or I have nothing else better to do, usually when I do small transformers tho I’ll do them as I get them not in a session this way it adds to my dollars per hour for the day

@dustintempleton1408 2 ай бұрын

Great information to have!

@Silent.Stacker Ай бұрын

Good information. Thank you.

@DianaRea-nv8zc 4 ай бұрын

Always enjoy your videos. I collect the small ones and process while listening to a podcast or game on phone

@patrickmorrissey2271 4 ай бұрын

Nice job. That is very good information to have....

@larrybuckles5180 4 ай бұрын

Love your videos, no matter what you cover, plus I imagine it is pretty cold.

@carlgodfrey2974 4 ай бұрын

Great comparison video. I watched the video of scrapping the large transformers.

@keepupthegoodwork935 4 ай бұрын

Really interesting!

@bluejay3369 4 ай бұрын

I cut mine in half just like that and then put the silicone ends up either end of the vise or anything that's puts it up and use a punch and hammer the windings come right out easy

@user-zb1yy2xm9v 2 ай бұрын

Cool.....im off to find my old machete....... Thanks for the tips

@DavidGS66 4 ай бұрын

Slats can be pulled apart using wire cutters, sometimes extremely tight. Hammer used to loosen glue. Best method if you want to keep Cu in bigger bunches, easier to handle.

@Kreacher1974 4 ай бұрын

The ones with the extra metal piece around it, just use the side cutters and pull it off. Much easier.

@dr.a006 4 ай бұрын

Get to the coppah! I mean, choppah! I mean, get to the coppah choppah!!

@rixismetals 4 ай бұрын

Great video ,I like doing the small transformers know I started to use the machete method lol

@nbarrager 4 ай бұрын

Just had my first scrap run this morning, I'm pretty sure my yard throws all motors and transformers in the shred pile. Can't blame them, most of the ones I've found are all aluminum.

@joeigneczi2524 4 ай бұрын

I always break them down either watching you or project shop fl

@MrBumlicker 4 ай бұрын

Well a bit of a loss but you can take your time, you have no boss breathing down your neck hurrying you up going on about time lines etc.

@omar_padilla 4 ай бұрын

Great video as always! Only I think you owe your machete an apology, because it looked like it came through for you. Never forget that every single tool is important!.

@bentleyalder5492 4 ай бұрын

To combat that "mess" I've taken to wrapping them in single layer of duct tape. It's not a complete solution but more a work in progress 😂

@bentleyalder5492 4 ай бұрын

A dull pair of wire cutters works great to get off those metal envelopes 😊

@tomokovlog8567 4 ай бұрын

Your fingers are never far from the head of a hammer 🔨

@tylerrowe7222 4 ай бұрын

As I watch this I cleaning copper and brass fixing to haul a load in tomorrow morning 1,000 pounds of copper #2 hope I make good money

@superdud124 4 ай бұрын

Should be between $4000 and $4500.

@thadofalltrades 4 ай бұрын

These are only worth processing if you have nothing else to do. I think with a more stable platform you'd cut through them faster.

@mikeschulte4271 4 ай бұрын

I would recommend a heat gun to melt all that paper and plastic off the copper after you take them out of the steel

@davea5150 3 ай бұрын

Angel hair pasta!!!!

@wszechmocnieuzdolniony 4 ай бұрын

Witam witam i pozdrawiam serdecznie z Polski 🇵🇱👍👍👍

@user-hg5tu8tx5k Ай бұрын

Thub! I have an idea for a video like this. I have been collecting Christmas lights, then clipping out the bulb parts, putting them in one bin, then putting the wire bits from in between in another bin. It’s the best way to get the most money but I’m debating if it’s worth it. Can you check it out? For the record, the yard in Calgary said they would take the bulbs/sockets too, just at a bottom dollar price and then pay more for the wire. Could be an interested vid!

@thubprint Ай бұрын

That was one of my earliest videos! Scrapping Christmas Lights - How Much PER HOUR? - Is It Worth It? kzfaq.info/get/bejne/m9Z4dqqLyLvNnH0.html I haven’t watched it in awhile and I don’t know how well it’s aged, but I remember that it wasn’t worth it haha

@curtispederson9390 Ай бұрын

Makeing money with cpmes with practice and knowingwhat your doing and NOT BEING distracted by something else😊😊

@curtispederson9390 Ай бұрын

Scrap comes with

@timlad5 3 ай бұрын

Small scale scrapping won't make you rich bit it can be fun and help pay the bills.

@Olliescraps 4 ай бұрын

i love you videos

@thubprint 4 ай бұрын

Thank you!

@Olliescraps 4 ай бұрын

@@thubprint you inspired me to start my own channel

@henriknielsen820 4 ай бұрын

🎉🎉

@miloudoranges2201 4 ай бұрын

🤠

@daveanderson2468 4 ай бұрын

Just cut the wire on one side with hacksaw and pry it out of the other side with a screwdriver or punch

@everydaywithmeridyth8936 3 ай бұрын

My yard pays .01 over shred for them.. I take them apart

@airidaspask 4 ай бұрын

I don't understand why the prices are so different between Canada and Europe for coper we get paid around 6.50€ per kg hearing anything less is surprising and for steel of the lowest grand I get paid 0.35 per kg (I'm sorry if this is an annoying or just a useless comment )

@andreabc1469 4 ай бұрын

Transport? Logistic

@thubprint 4 ай бұрын

Is that not pretty much the same though? 1€ = $1.50 CAD, and 1kg=2.2lbs so your copper is about $4.40CAD/lb which I’ve seen recently but this was #2 grade so it’s lower. It does sound like you get twice as much as me for steel though

@andreabc1469 4 ай бұрын

@@thubprint Steel is 29 Cent (€) Kg today in Germany

@NebulaTheOfficial 4 ай бұрын

sweet, the second im on free period, i get a new video to watch! Don't know whether to be impressed about your use of the machete, or horrified that you have it.

@bond1j89 4 ай бұрын

90% of men that work with their hands have one.

@andreabc1469 4 ай бұрын

@@bond1j89 no

@nomadsteve5297 4 ай бұрын

I think if you are doing it as a hobby and a reason to play in the man cave, then yes its worth it 😊

@benhumphregys3087 4 ай бұрын

Easy money I feel big whack easy cash 💵

@davea5150 4 ай бұрын

Is the copper no. 1 or 2 ?

@paulcoenen7918 4 ай бұрын

@vincedibona4687 4 ай бұрын

#boltdownthatviseforgodssake

@thubprint 4 ай бұрын

🤣👍

@ryanphillips1388 4 ай бұрын

Breaking transformers always depends on the price of copper

@steveherr450 4 ай бұрын

yes i have competition that won't break down transformers, condensers or whatever that has copper in it when the price is down but will when the price is up. problem that is you are wasting time pulling it when the price is up and you don't get as much hauled in. but i pull copper no matter if the price is up or down and just stock pile it for when the price does go up that way i have it already to go. my fellow local scrappers always wonder how i get so much copper when the prices are up, because i collect and seperate it when the price is down. same with other scrap when it is down, no one hauls but i do and stock pile behind my shed then when prices are up and everyone is fighting over it, i haul out of my backyard.